Among the gearhead set, engine swapping is a common pastime. In case you aren’t familiar with engine swapping, it’s the process of taking an old engine out of a vehicle and putting another one back in -usually a more powerful one. In the old days, before engine electronic control systems, engine swapping wasn’t technically difficult. All you had to do was mount the engine in the car (weld new motor mounts in), connect up an ignition coil, hook up a gas line, plumb the exhaust system, and you were off to the races (pun intended.) Engine swapping was an immensely popular hobby that was practiced by gearheads in every town across the country.
All this changed, however, when automobile engines went electronic. Engines built in the last few decades are very different from those made in the 1950s and 60s. Anything made in the last few decades is literally covered with electronic sensors and the whole system is run by a dedicated computer (or “engine control module”). Today, because they are so complex,swapping an engine requires that you essentially be a fully certified mechanic –and a good one at that says Sandoval of Columbus, OH, a full-service Buick, GMC dealer.
Courtesy of Chrysler Corporation, that is about to change. Chrysler, or more accurately Mopar (Chrysler parts division), is offering a kit that allows one to mount one of their engines in the car of your choice. Called the “Mopar Crate Hemi Engine Kit”, Mopar engineers have specifically designed the kit for the do-it-yourselfer. This is an absolute game changer for the hot-rod community and a brilliant marketing move by Chrysler. Having thousands of hot-rodders installing Hemi engines in their cars adds to the Hemi mystique and will build more demand for the companies cars and trucks.
The Mopar Crate Hemi Engine Kit works with 5.7-liter and 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engines from 2014 on.
The kit is meant to pair the new engine with a pre-1975 vehicle. It includes a power distribution center, powertrain control module, engine and chassis wiring harnesses, a number of sensors and even a gas pedal. Yes, there’s also a full instruction and installation manual.
When installed with the Mopar Crate Hemi Engine Kit, the 5.7-liter Hemi will put out 383 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque, while the 6.4-liter should crank out 485 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque. That’s plenty of twist, and the kits are already in use on two SEMA concept cars – the Jeep CJ66 and the Dodge Shakedown.
Mopar claims that the Mopar Crate Hemi Engine Kit turns is nearly plug-and-play but there are a few requirements. First, It is best if the engine is paired with a manual transmission. You can pair it up with an automatics will work, but not an optimal installation. You can also add on powered options like power steering and air conditioning to the crate engines.
You may be wondering about pricing. First theMopar Crate Hemi Engine Kit costs $1,795. On top of that is the Mopar crate engine. According to the Chrysler website, the 5.7L Eagle Hemi engine is $6070 and the 6.4 Apache Hemi engine is $9335. Sure, these are a lot of money but consider you have a world famous engine in your car and the hours you will save by not building your own.